172 
New Zealand Ferns 
(65) P. macilenta (thin). A very beautiful fern of an 
open pattern like lace-work, soft and membranous; a 
lover of shade, though I have seen it growing where the 
bush had been cleared. 
Description . — Roots very short. Stalks 6 to 18 inches long, 
pale yellow-brown, darker towards the base, smooth or slightly 
scaly below. Fronds 1 to 3 feet long by 9 to 18 inches broad, 
membranous, flaccid, glistening, green to pale-green, yellow-green 
in the open. Seeds marginal, in the notches of the leaflets, not 
nearly reaching the tips. Veins netted along the midrib, else- 
where free. 
North Island: Not uncommon in dry woods. South Island: 
Near Nelson, Takaka ; Marlborough. Also said to occur on Banks 
Peninsula and near Greymouth. 
